5 places to explore near Plattsburgh, New York
Coming to Plattsburgh as a freshman this fall I was worried that I would not find anything to do. When I told people I committed to SUNY Plattsburgh most of the responses were either “you’re going to need to make sure you bring a coat, it’s cold up there.” or “why Plattsburgh, there is nothing to do up there.”. My worries were quickly eased when I found myself going to some of the most beautiful places I have seen within the first few weeks of being here. A place is what you make of it. If you are willing to look for the beauty in where you are, you will likely find it. Here are 5 of the places that I would recommend checking out if you find yourself in Plattsburgh looking for somewhere to explore. And the best part is that all of these places are free!
Poke – O – Moonshine Mountain
Within my first month of school, a girl I met in class asked if I wanted to go hike a mountain with her and my obvious response was absolutely. Poke-o-moonshine mountain is only about 30 minutes from Plattsburgh. The drive there is very scenic and the view from the top of the mountain is unbelievable. There is a big area at the summit where I have seen people hang out for hours. It is about 4 miles round trip and it took just under 3 hours, including the excessive amount of time we spent admiring the views and taking pictures. I will say, the climb is steep, but the view is most definitely worth the climb.
Point Au Roche State Park
A few weeks after seeing Poke-o-moonshine, my friend and I decided to visit Point Au Roche State Park. There are miles of flat trails and I have nothing but good things to say about how pretty it was there. My friend and I walked for about 1.5 hours and only saw about 20% of the park. We were able to go right up to the lake as most of the trail follows the water. I definitely plan on going back there and I think that anyone would enjoy walking around it too.
Plattsburgh City Marina
This one may come as a surprise to you, but the City Marina is a cute spot to look around. There are not necessarily trails but you can walk to the tip of Peace Point. You are able to see right across the lake and into the mountains of Vermont. There are also a few picnic tables where you can sit down and enjoy lunch with some friends. Even though this is not necessarily a place you can walk around, it is still a cute spot to check out.Â
Centennial Rotary Park
Grand Isle Island
Lastly, if you take the ferry across Lake Champlain you will end up on Grand Isle Island. My friend and I ran a half-marathon here this past October and it was one of the prettiest places I have seen. The ferry in itself is a great experience (especially at sunrise or sunset) as well as the mountain view you get from the island. Although this is a bit further, I really enjoyed just driving around the island. There are also some cute shops worth checking out.
As previously mentioned, a place is what you make of it. It is so easy to know what’s around you, but it’s harder to go and check it out. I can not emphasize this enough… go see the world that surrounds you. You don’t have to go far to see beautiful things.